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Nish, Felled by Its Own Best Efforts

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Sometimes you can&#8217;t win for losing. Take <a href="http://nymag.com/listings/restaurant/nish/">Nish</a>: After years of making hay as high-end tablecloth restaurant <a href="http://nymag.com/listings/restaurant/march/">March</a>, last year Wayne Nish rechristened it Nish and lowered prices. The result? According to Joe Salice, Nish&#8217;s partner in the venture, that was the beginning of the end: &#8220;What with the location and the price point being lower, we no longer became a destination. And as a &#8216;just grab a bite to eat&#8217; place, there&#8217;s only so much we can get from the local people.&#8221; And that wasn&#8217;t nearly enough. &#8220;We looked at the numbers for the last month, and we were working just to pay the payroll and the vendors &#133; so we had to make a decision.&#8221; The decision was to <a href="http://nymag.com/daily/food/2007/06/a_double_blow_for_nish_first_v.html">pull the plug</a>. And even though it was a long time coming, the closure still came as a shock, with longtime customers scratching their heads and the staff in disarray. &#8220;No restaurant closes gracefully,&#8221; Nish tells us.
<strong>Earlier</strong>: <a href="http://nymag.com/daily/food/2007/06/a_double_blow_for_nish_first_v.html">A Double Blow for Wayne Nish: First Varietal, Now Nish Closes</a>

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Sometimes you can’t win for losing. Take Nish: After years of making hay as high-end tablecloth restaurant March, last year Wayne Nish rechristened it Nish and lowered prices. The result? According to Joe Salice, Nish’s partner in the venture, that was the beginning of the end: “What with the location and the price point being lower, we no longer became a destination. And as a ‘just grab a bite to eat’ place, there’s only so much we can get from the local people.” And that wasn’t nearly enough. “We looked at the numbers for the last month, and we were working just to pay the payroll and the vendors so we had to make a decision.” The decision was to pull the plug. And even though it was a long time coming, the closure still came as a shock, with longtime customers scratching their heads and the staff in disarray. “No restaurant closes gracefully,” Nish tells us.